Centrifugal pump with center intake



June 30, 1953 R. J. MURPHY ETAL. 2,643,615

CENTRIFUGAL PUMP WITH CENTER iNTAKE Filed Sept. 1, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

fiaymoizddffiur h BY Edwardli. 5711252 J1me 1953 R. J. MURPHY ET AL 2,643,615

CENTRIFUGAL PUMP WITH CENTER INTAKE Filed Sept. 1, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 30, 1953 CENTRIFUGAL PUMP WITH CENTER INTAKE Raymond J. Murphy and Edward H. Smith, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application September 1, 1948, Serial No. 47,284

The present invention relates to pumps in general, and particularly to the type known as sump pumps and the like, and concerns especially a mobile pump construction of the rotary type, wherein the pump unit may be driven by a remotely located power source. While the instant device is principally designed to serve as a bilge pump for boats, its application to other uses of course is not limited.

Although rotary pumps used as either sump or bilge pumps are well known, this invention presents a practical and useful departure from the ordinary run of bilge pumps in that the driving source for the pump unit may be located in any desired place, and by the same token the pump unit itself may be set at any desired position and in any suitable part of a boat or other place from which liquid is to be removed. The remote operation of the pump unit by adriving source, such as an electric motor,-is facilitated by the employment of a detachably mounted flexible shaft structure-which latter permits the attachment of the motor in any desirable location such as in the cabin, the pilot house or in the cockpit far removed from gasolinefumes, which latter usually settle in low places. The pump unit is preferably located at the lowermost spot in which water will settle. Thus, it may be placed atthe lowest part of the bilge, under the engine, beneath low decking or at any most desirable point where other types of pumps should be but cannot be conveniently mounted, as is often the case in many boats.

Thus the advantage of a pumping device of the kind described, over existing pumps intended for similar uses, becomes quite readily evident.

In generally describing the present device in its presently preferred form, the same consists of an electric motor, equipped with a special mounting which latter facilitates attachment of the motor anywhere and its ready shifting from place to place when necessary. The pump unit consists of a base which is provided with means for attaching it anywhere, and from which base extends an impeller housing. The inlet of the pump is located in the base, and is covered by a heavy gauge strainer, while the outlet has .an adapter for connecting thereto a rubber hose or the like, the discharge end of which may be directed over the gunwale.

Both the motor mounting as well as the impeller housing are preferably provided with hollow, externally threaded extensionsfor accommodating one end of the motor shaft and one end of the impeller shaft. Connecting the motor 4 Claims. (01. 103-103) with the pump unit is a flexible shaft which is equipped with coupling elements for engagement with the shaft ends of the motor shaft and of the impeller shaft, and which flexible shaft operates in a flexible casing, the ends of which are provided with quickly detachable bushings for engagement with the threaded ends of the hollow extensions of the motor mounting and the impeller housing, respectively.

For locations where it becomes necessary to frequently change the position of either the motor or of the pump unit, and due to which positional changes the flexible shaft structure may be subjected to overstrain, the impeller housing is equipped with an adapter which facilitates the positioning of the shaft structure at any point within a circle of 350.

Having outlined the principal arrangement of the present invention, its general object is to provide a sump pump structure or the like, wherein the power source and the pump unit may be remotely installed in respect to one another, and wherein both the power source as well as the pump unit are rendered mobile independently of one another to facilitate changing their location at short notice whenever required.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sump pump construction or the like including a mobile mountable motor and a mobile mountable rotary pump unit connected by means of a flexible shaft structure, the latter being adapted to facilitate the attachment and removal at short notice at any place of either the motor or of the pump unit, or of both.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide in a sump pump construction or the like, employing a motor and a pump unit, a mobile mountable motor support and a mobile mountable pumpbase, with which latter is; removably associated an impeller housing, and wherein the motor support as well as the impeller housing are provided with hollow extensions, and wherein the motor and the pump unit are connected by a flexible shaft operative in a flexible casing, and wherein the casing ends are provided with means for removable engagement with said hollow extensions of the motor support and of the impeller housing.

A further object of this invention is to provide in a sump pump construction or the like a pump unit having a base and an impeller housconstruction in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a top view, partly in section, of a pump unit; I

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section through the pump unit including a section through one connecting end of the flexible shaftstructure;

Fig. 4 is a fragmental bottom view of the pump unit;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of a motor for driving the pump unit, and a mountable support for the motor;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the motor, provided with a motor support, the latter shown partially in section, and disclosing one connecting end of the flexible shaft structure;

Fig. '7 is a bottom view of the motor and the motor mounting shown in Fig. 5; and

Fig. 8 is a vertical cross section through a modified form of a pump unit equipped with an angular gear transmission and the attachable portion of the flexible shaft structure connected with the pump unit.

Referrin now more specifically to the figures, numeral :5 denotes a boat, at the bottom of which will be observed a body of accumulated water H. At that lowermost point of the boat there is placed a pump unit, generally indicated at 12, which is connected by means of flexible shaft structure 3 to motor 14. From the pump unit extends a flexible hose l5 terminating in a gooseneck it for the discharge of water to without the boat.

The pump unit The pump unit consists of a base IT, preferably provided with raised spacing legs l3 having holes l9 for the reception of attaching means, such as screws 20 shown in Fig. 2. The bottom of the casing is dished or recessed at 2 I, see Fig. 3, and to the lower edge of the recessed portion there is secured a strainer 22 which is held in place by means of lugs 23, see Figs. 3 and 4. Concentrically arranged with the recessed portion is an inlet 24.

Detachably secured to base I! and covering inlet passage 24 is an impeller housing 25 provided with screw-receiving lugs 25 serving for detachably securing the housing to the base. Extending sidewise from the impeller housing is an outlet 27 preferably provided with. a threaded or otherwise constructed end 28 to facilitate the attachment thereto of a discharge hose or the like.

Operative within the impeller housing is an impeller 29 provided with several blades 33, supported by hub 3 I, the lower end of the hub gradually reducing in size and projecting with its reduced end into inlet aperture 24 of base ll, see Fig. 3. Extending through the hub is an impeller shaft 32 to which hub 31 is secured by means of a set screw'33, rendered accessible through inlet 24 to facilitate positioning of the impeller relative to the shaft. From housing 25 projects upwardly and in alignment with inlet passage 24 a central enlargement 33' serving as a bearin for shaft 32. Enlargement 33' terminates in a hollow extension 34 which is preferably threaded externally. One end of shaft 32 projects into the hollow part of that extension and is held against axial movement by a pin 35 which passes through the shaft and rests against the bottom end of hollow extension 34. The end of the shaft 32 is square as may be readily seen from Fig. 2 at 36.

Engaging square end 36 of the impeller shaft is a coupling member 31 secured to flexible shaft 38, which latter, as well as the coupling member,

are rotatably mounted within an adapter or attaching element 39 forming one of the termini of flexible casing 40. As will be observed, adapter or attaching element 39 consists of two parts, that is an immobile member 39, in the shape of a cone,

which is fixedly secured to casing 40 and is provided with an external peripheral flange 4|, and an operative member in the form of a bushing 42. The latter has an internal flange which engages flange 4| of cone 39' and is threaded internally for connecting with the external thread of hollow extension 34.

Referring now to Figs. 5, 6 and 7, motor 14 is supported by a motor mounting 43 equipped with attaching lugs 44 adapted for the reception of attaching screws, not shown. That mounting has a downwardly directed hollow extension 45 termihating in an externally threaded end 46 and into which hollow extension projects one end of motor shaft 47. The latter is squared at 48 in a manner similar to that of impeller shaft 32. Engaging the squared end of the motor shaft is a connector 49 provided with a correspondingly square recess. Connector 49 forms a part of and is fixedly united with flexible shaft 38 extending from pump unit 12. Connector 49 and the end of flexible shaft 38 are lodged in the hollow part of flanged cone 39' of attaching element or adapter 39. Cone 39 is again fixedly secured to the end of flexible casing 40 in which shaft 38 operates, and flange 4| of cone 33' is again engaged by a corresponding flange of internally threaded bushing 42.

Modification In Fig. 8 there is illustrated a pump structure very similar to that shown in Fig. 3, in which base I! is unchanged. The impeller housing 50, however, is modifled in that its upper end is provided with a hub 51 having a circular groove 52. About the root of hub 5| the housing is faced as at 53. Resting against this face is a right angular, hollow adapter structure 54 having vertical and horizontal body portions, the latter forming an externally threaded extension 55. Through the vertical body portion of adapter structure 54 extends a screw 56 which engages groove 52, whereby adapter 54 is prevented from disengaging hub 55, although it may rotate about hub 5| through a circle of 360.

Extending through the hub is impeller shaft 51, to the lower end of which is secured impeller 29 in the same way as explained in connection with Fig. 3. To the upper end of impeller shaft 51 is secured a gear 58 by means of pin 59. Within the horizontal portion of hollow extension 55 is provided a cylindrical bearing member 60 which has a recess 61. Member 60 serves as journal for a horizontal transmission shaft 62, to the interior end. of which is attached by means of pin 63 a gear 64, corresponding to and engaging gear 53. The exterior end ofshaft 62 has a square end, as indicated at 65, which latter isengaged by a coupling member 31' of flexible shaft 38. This coupling member and the shaft are rotatably mounted in cone 39 of adapter 39 which latter forms the terminus of flexible casing 40. Internally threaded bushing c2 of the adapter engages with its flange the flange of cone 39.

While in the foregoing specific structures of the present invention are described, it is quite obvious that changes and improvements may have to be incorporated in order to adapt the device of the present invention to various uses other than those indicated, and for this reason such changes and 3. In a sump pump structure, a hollow base, including spacing means to provide clearance between the base and its support, a recess at the bottom of the base, a removable strainer covering said recess, a plurality of strainer-holding lugs provided within the hollow base, an inlet aperture concentric with said recess, an impeller housing detachably secured to the base and having a improvements are to be considered a part of this invention within the scope of the annexed claims.

We claim:

1. In a rotary sump pump construction or the like adapted for operation by means of a power source and a flexible shaft having detachable ends for connecting the power source with said pump; said rotary pump comprising a hollow base, including means for spacing the base from a fixed support, means provided in the base to facilitate removable association thereof with a fixed support; said base having at its interior a recess and an inlet passage concentric with the recess, a strainer covering said recess and attaching lugs rranged along the edges of the recess for holding the strainer over the recess; an impeller housing removably secured to said base, a central enlargement projecting from the housing, a central reoess in said enlargement, and impeller shaft journaled and suspended within that central recess of said enlargement, a pin passing through the upper shaft end within said recess and being operatively suspended at the bottom of the recess and limiting the downward movement of the shaft, the lower end of the shaft projecting through said inlet passage into the recessed base; an impeller operative in said housing and having a hub reducing in size and extending with its reduced end into said inlet passage, said impeller shaft passing through said impeller hub, and means for detachably securing said hub to said shaft and being accessible through said inlet passage to facilitate positioning of the impeller in respect to the shaft.

2. In a sump pump construction or the like, a rotary pump comprising a hollow base including means for spacing it from a fixed support, a suction recess in said base, a strainer covering said recess, an inlet passage to said recess, an impeller housing removably secured to the base over said inlet passage, a central enlargement projecting from the housing and having a central recess provided with a flat bottom, an impeller shaft journaled in said enlargement, a pin passing through the upper end of the shaft and being operatively supported by said recess bottom, the latter serving as hearing for said pin, said pin limiting the axial movement of the shaft in downward direction, the lower end of the shaft projecting into said inlet passage of the base, an impeller operative in said housing and having a hub and blades, the hub being removably mounted upon the lower end of said shaft, one end of the hub being reduced and extending into said inlet passage, means for fixedly securing the impeller hub to said shaft and being accessible through said inlet passage.

sidewisely extending outlet and a central, upwardly projecting enlargement serving as journal for the impeller shaft and having a central recess with a fiat bottom, an impeller operative in the housing and having a hub with a gradually reducing lower end extending into the inlet aperture, an impeller shaft journaled in said housing enlargement, the upper shaft end extending beyond the bottom of the recess and its lower end passing into the reduced lower hub end of the impeller, means at that hub end for removably fastening the shaft against movement relative to said impeller, a pin passing through the upper shaft end and being operatively supported by said flat bottom of the recess, thereby holding the shaft against axial movement toward said base and facilitating its rotation, said flat bottom of the recess serving as bearing for the pin, and means removably associated with'said housing enlargement for effecting an operative connection between the impeller shaft and driving means for the shaft.

4. In a sump pump or like structure adapted for operation by means of a motor and a flexible shaft, said pump comprising a base including means for spacing it from a support, a central recess in the base, a strainer extending over the recess, lugs arranged within the base for holding the strainer over the recess, an inlet concentric with said recess; an impeller housing detachably secured to the base and having a side outlet and a central, upwardly projecting enlargement having a central recess, an impeller shaft journaled in said enlargement, one of the shaft ends extending beyond the bottom of said recess within said enlargement, an impeller demountably secured to the lower end of the impeller shaft, a pin passing through the upper, extending end of the shaft and being operative within said recess and being operatively supported by the bottom-face of the latter, thus simultaneously limiting the shafts axial movement toward said base.

RAYMOND J. MURPHY. EDWARD H. SMITH.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

